The Half-Year Mark: Best Books of 2010 (so far)

Hey folks! As it’s officially the beginning of summer and we’re halfway through the year, we decided that it was time to start keeping score – of our favorite books of the year, that is.

Without further ado, we present you with our Best of 2010 Lists – So Far.

Thea’s Best of 2010:

So far, 2010 has been running a little below average as a reading year – why do I say this? Because when reflecting upon the reviews I’ve written this year and the books I’ve read so far, only a very select few jump out at me as truly memorable. I couldn’t even fill out an honest Top 10 for 2010, unfortunately. BUT. While many of the highly anticipated debuts or sequels of the year have failed to live up to expectations and I’ve read a lot of rather ho-hum/decently entertaining but ultimately mediocre books published in 2010, there are always a few diamonds in the rough that make it all worthwhile. And I’m hoping for a STELLAR second half of the year – given the number of titles I’m ridiculously excited for, I think 2010 will, in the end, be just fine. I’m breaking out my picks in three lists: 1. Best books read, reviewed and published in 2010; 2. Best books read & reviewed in 2010 (regardless of publication year); and 3. Honorable Mentions.

As you can see, young adult and dystopian/apocalyptic novels still dominate my lists, with a few steampunk books thrown in there too. And wouldja look at that, my New Year’s Resolution to read more science fiction is totally paying off. Here’s to an awesome back end of 2010!

Ana’s Best of 2010:

Things are quite different, at my side of the Smuggliverse – 2010 has been a fabulous reading year so far for me. I read 65 books and the majority of them were pretty good reads to the point where I had a problem trying to come up with ONLY a top 10 of the year especially taking into consideration we are only half way through 2010. If things keep up like that – and chances are they will, with so many books I am looking forward to reading – 2010 might well be one of my best reading years ever. I will break my picks in three lists as well only slightly different: 1. Best books read, reviewed and published in 2010; 2.Hororable mentions; 3. John Green (because his books were my favourite discovery of the year).

Ok, tons of YA as you can see, which is where the good stuff seems to be at the moment, especially of the Fantasy variety. I plan to read more straight Fantasy, Romance and Anthologies, on this second half of the year. Let’s see how it goes.

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About Thea

Thea James is half of the maniacal book review duo behind The Book Smugglers. By day, she does digital operations things over at Workman Publishing. By night, she watches an abundance of horror movies, stays up too late, and voraciously devours ALL THE SFF.

21 Responses to “The Half-Year Mark: Best Books of 2010 (so far)”

I have to say, I agree with most of these choices. The Demon’s Covenant especially, that series has now become one of my favourites. I also enjoyed The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong, and I’m looking forward to the next trilogy. I haven’t read Incarceron yet, but I think I will soon. There’s been a lot of praise for it.

The cover of An Abundance of Katherines always creeps me out for some reason. I think it’s all the eyes. I have it stacked face down on my bookshelf so I don’t have to see it!

Also, sent my contact info your way in regards to the last giveaway. Hope you received it!

This is awesome, so many of these are books I am fricken excited to read, like Incarceron which I just ordered! Also, this makes me want to read the rest of my John Green books, but I am saving them for a special occasion.

Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop and The Lord of White Hell by Ginn Hale are my picks for best of 2010 so far. Best debut is hard because there are so many great ones. But I would definitely put Mind Games and Touched By An Alien by Gini Koch up there.

Hmmm, I went to my goodreads page to see what I liked so far (then again I only started using that in April) and what would mostly fit your tastes – and not be rereads – so my best so far are Magic Bleeds, Bound in Blood (of course ^^) and Somatesthesia. In comparable manga the Sakura Taisen series – and in a cracktastic fashion (as in – over the top guilty pleasure) Kylie Chan’s Earth to Hell – which the US won’t get after all, since Angry Robot changed ownership, but the UK probably will get after all. No matter – I’m going to import the next book in the series, coming out in August, from Australia anyway.

In an amalgam of anime/manga and fantasy style – N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

I feel so behind. I don’t think I’ve read any of these! I’ll have to check them out!

My faves so far this year would have to be:
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA Fantasy)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman & S. Morgenstern (Classic)
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan (Children’s Fantasy)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Classic Gothic)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (Classic)
Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer (Fantasy)

Young Miles by Lois McMaster BujoldA Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen TurnerGoing Too Far by Jennifer EcholsJellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
the Samaria series by Sharon ShinnDaughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Loved, loved, loved the Demon Lexicon, can’t wait to read the Demon Covenant it’s one of my Summer Picks along with Shade. I thought White Cat was excellent and think John Greene’s dialogue is fricken hilarious!

Love this list! Thanks Ladies! As a reviewer myself I would love you to add “The Liquid City” by Curtis J Hopfenbeck. He’s new, but is gloriously charming and witty and, for a man, really gets women. It’s one of those ‘make you laugh, cry and stand-up-and-clap at the end’ scenarios. My readers are raving so just thought I would pass it along as a fan of your website. Happy reading! Vicky

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[…] the halfway point in the year, the Book Smugglers have umm’d and ahh’d over their best books so far in 2010 and bring us these lists. I don’t know about you, but my wishlist grew exponentially just looking at what […]

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The Book Smugglers

noun
1 : a book review blog specializing in speculative fiction and popgeekery for all ages since 2008.
2 : a digital-first publisher of speculative fiction and nonfiction since 2014.
3 : 2014 Hugo Nominee for Best Fanzine
4 : a duo of awesomely badass book nerds